[Study on the current status and relative factors on reproductive health of unmarried floating population in Huizhou City].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the current status and relative factors of reproductive health (RH) on unmarried floating population. METHODS: Both quantitative and qualitative surveys were employed. Quantitative survey would include questionnaire admimistration, physic examination and laboratory test while qualitative study including focus/nominal group discussion, individual and resource persons interview. All of the investigative targets were selected under informed consent. RESULTS: Among 1333 investigated unmarried floating population, the mean score on knowledge of RH was 12.97 +/- 12.20 (the full score was 100). Among studied persons, 10.20% of them were in favor of unmarried sexual activity while 50.64% of them did not care about it and 26.90% of them had ever experienced sexual activity. Among females who experienced sexual activity, 25.45% of them had induced abortion. It was found, through multivariate logistic analysis, that sexual activity at younger age, less education, agreed on having sexual activity under partner's request, sexual activity in half of a year, and pregnancy were the major risk factors on RH of unmarried floating population. CONCLUSION: The problem on the current status of RH among unmarried floating population needs to be addressed as they were lack of knowledge on RH and having more risk factors on RH.

[Survey of health status and healthcare service demand of perimenopausal women in Guangdong].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the health status and healthcare service demand of perimenopausal women in Guangdong Province so as to explore the mode and methods for implementing climacteric and senectitude healthcare. METHOD: Using the method of stratified and cluster sampling and according to the geographical features of Guangdong Province, we selected 4 500 perimenopausal women aged 40-65 years from 5 relatively small cities (representatives of the urban areas) and 4 counties (representatives of the rural areas) for this survey. RESULTS: The average age of natural menopause was 48.6 years in this cohort of women, and was 48.9 years in women from the urban areas and 48.3 years in those from the rural areas. The total incidence of diseases was similar in the urban and rural areas (38.5% vs 39.5%), accounting for an incidence of 39% in the total subjects. The 6 most prevalent diseases were bone and joint disease (12.5%), hypertension (9.2%), myoma of the uterus (6.8%), gastric or duodenal ulcer (5.2%), cardiac disease (2.7%) and diabetes mellitus (2.2%). In bone and joint disease, knee joint disease and lumbar vertebrae disease were the commonest (34.3% vs 32.8%), and the incidence of bone fracture was 2.5%. Perimenopausal syndrome had a prevalence rate of 68.1%, and the most distressful symptoms were sleeplessness, muscular, bone and joint pain, fidgety, dizziness, of which 86.8% were mental symptoms and 86.0% body symptoms. Women(71.2%) with perimenopausal symptoms received no medical treatment, and only 20.5% had ever sought medical care in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, often taking traditional Chinese medicines (53.9%). Only 1.4% of the symptomatic women received hormone therapy, the rate varied from 1.0% in the rural areas to 1.8% in the urban areas. CONCLUSION: Perimenopausal syndrome and its related diseases severely affect the physical and mental health of perimenopausal women, who demand extensive healthcare services.